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INDIAN  PROGRESSION 


By  EMELINE  G.  PIERSON 


j^=^HE  work  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
among  the  Indians  is  a long  and  in- 
spiring story,  from  early  Colonial  ef- 
forts beginning  with  the  Long  Island  In- 
dians. to  this  end  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, when  at  least  thirty-five  tribes  have 
been  reached  by  it  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  missions  and  schools  arc  in  suc- 
cessful operation  in  the  great  West.  But 
the  end  of  the  century  sees  also  the  sig- 
nificant spectacle  of  a tribal  interchange  of 
the  blessings  of  the  Gospel — when  one 
band  of  Christian  Indians  carries  the  good 
news  to  another  tribe,  and  the  Red  Man 
reads  the  Church  a lesson  in  giving  and 
telling. 

Back  in  the  thirties,  four  Xez  Perce 
braves  came  across  the  mountains  of  the 
Northwest  looking  for  the  Book  of  heaven. 
Marcus  Whitman  was  the  answer  to  their 
appeal,  and  all  the  world  knows  his  story 
if  not  theirs.  The  martyred  Whitman,  the 
Snauldings  and  the  Cowleys  served  and 
suffered  and  com|ucred  for  Christ  and  the 
Xez  Pcrces  came  into  the  light.  Overlap- 


()ing  the  last  eventful  years  of  the  Spauld- 
ing ministry  the  ^IcBeth  sisters  entered 
into  the  very  heart  and  life  of  this  w'on- 
derful  mission,  and  when  at  last  Miss 
Sue  went  to  her  reward,  Jonah,  the  sub- 
chief, brokenly  said  to  General  Howard,  of 
her  work:  ‘‘  It  make  Indians  stop  buying 

and  selling  wives,  stop  gambling  and  horse 
racing  for  money,  stop  getting  drunk  and 
running  about,  stop  all  time  lazj'  and  make 
them  all  time  work.”  It  did  more,  for  she 
was  the  " theological  seminary  ” that  pre- 
pared Xez  Perce  young  men  for  the  min- 
istrj'. 

Her  sister  Kate,  entering  into  her  labors, 
carries  on  this  unique  work,  and  nine  na 
live  pastors  and  more  elders  thus  trained 
minister  to  hundreds  of  Nez  Perce  church 
members  in  Idaho  alone. 

But  so  enlightened  are  these  awakened 
Indians  that  they  are  reaching  out  helping 
hands  to  the  tribes  that  sit  in  darkness 
about  them.  Two  years  ago  two  Indians 
from  the  Fort  Hall  Reservation,  Idaho, 
where  1,500  Bannocks  and  Shoshones  have 
settlements  around  the  agency,  traveled  to 
the  Nez  Perces  for  help  to  worship  God 
as,  long  ago.  the  Nez  Perces  had  appealed 
to  the  white  men  of  the  East.  Then  did 
James  Hayes,  a native  pastor,  leave  his 
church  at  the  bidding  of  his  people,  and 
go  over  to  the  more  warlike  Bannocks  and 
Shoshones  to  preach — an  Indian  to  his 


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brother  Indians.  His  was  not  a new  mes- 
sage, for  a good  Presbyterian  woman  had 
for  years  been  dropping  seed  into  their 
hearts  as  she  did  a quiet  work  in  a school 
at  one  point  on  the  Reservation.  The  call 
to  the  Nez  Perces  was  echoed  through 
Presbytery  and  Synod  till  it  reached  the 
Hoard  of  Home  Missions  in  the  following 
statement : 

“ The  committee  on  the  Indian  work  on 
the  Fort  Hall  Reservation  herewith  present 
the  following  facts  and  conclusions  to  the 
Synod  of  Utah: 

1st.  Miss  .-Kmelia  J.  Frost,  a member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  at  Lero}',  N.  V., 
was  sent  to  the  Reservation  twelve  j'ears 
ago  to  take  charge  of  the  missionary  work 
of  the  Connecticut  Indian  Association. 
This  is  an  interdenominational  association, 
and  has  furnished  her  support  up  to  the 
present  time  (1899). 

“ 2d.  .After  years  of  self-denial  and  con- 
secration to  the  best  interests  of  these 
dark-minded  heathen,  she  has  fully  gained 
their  confidence  and  has  been  able  to  teach 
them  the  rudiments  of  the  Gospel.  She  has 
induced  a number  of  them,  who  were  living 
with  wives  after  the  custom  of  the  heathen, 
to  abandon  their  wild  habits,  accept  the 
customs  of  civilization,  secure  a license  and 
enter  the  marriage  state  according  to  the 
laws  and  pledges  of  the  state.  They  aban- 
doned their  Indian  habits,  threw  away  their 


blankets,  moccasins,  paint  and  feathers,  and 
put  on  the  garb  of  civilization. 

“ 3d.  A }-ear  or  more  ago  two  of  these 
men  made  the  journey  to  the  Xez  Perce 
Indians  to  learn  how  to  worship  God. 

“ The  Presbyterian  Indians  of  the  Nez 
Perce  tribe  became  deeply  interested  in  the 
•Bannock  and  Shoshone  visitors.  They 
sent  their  pastor,  the  Rev.  James  Hayes, 
and  his  elder,  Solomon  Whitman,  to  spend 
a few  months  in  preaching  the  Gospel  to 
the  Bannock  and  Shoshone  Indians  this  last 
summer. 

“4th.  Miss  Frost  had  so  well  prepared 
the  ground,  and  had  so  thoroughly  won  the 
confidence  of  the  people  that  when  they 
learned  from  her  that  the  Xez  Perce  minis- 
ter and  elder  worshipped  the  same  God 
that  she  had  been  preaching  to  them,  and 
belonged  to  the  same  denomination,  they 
gladly  received  the  minister  and  his  elder. 
The  Spirit  of  God  accompanied  the  preach- 
ing of  the  \\’ord.  Souls  were  born  again 
and  wished  to  make  a public  profession  of 
their  faith. 

“ 5th.  The  Presbytery  of  Walla  Walla, 
from  which  the  Rev.  ]\Ir.  Hayes  and  his 
elder  came,  then  gave  them  authority  to  or- 
ganize a Presbyterian  Church.  They  there- 
fore proceeded,  in  due  form,  after  instruct- 
ing the  converts  in  reference  to  doctrine 
a.nd  church  government,  to  organize  the 
r, 


First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Fort  Hall, 
consisting  of  eighteen  members. 

“The  Nez  Perce  Indians,  who  are  Pres- 
byterians. furnished  the  money  to  provide 
for  Mr.  Hayes  while  on  his  mission.  In 
addition  they  raised  $298.80  to  assist  their 
new  found  brethren  in  building  a house  of 
worship.  Miss  Frost  and  her  friends  un- 
dertook to  secure  means  to  erect  a building 
for  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Fort  Hall. 
-A.bout  $800  has  been  secured  for  this  house 
of  worship. 

“ Four  members  of  this  Synod  have,  at 
different  times,  visited  this  little  company 
of  new-born  brethren.  We  have  been 
deeply  interested  in  this  precious  work  of 
God,  the  result  of  the  long  and  faithful  la- 
bors of  Miss  Frost,  and  of  the  Nez  Perce 
brethren  who  have  come  to  her  assistance. 
She  has  planted,  the  coming  missionaries 
have  watered  and  God  has  given  the  in- 
crease. 

“ We  are  profoundly  convinced  that  God 
has  laid  these  little  ones  of  -His  kingdom 
on  the  bosom  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
One  of  our  Home  Missionary  brethren, 
who  knows  the  preciou'^ness  of  this  work, 
offers  to  contribute  one  hundred  dollars  of 
his  own  support  to  the  support  of  a Presby- 
terian missionary  from  the  Nez  Perce  In- 
rlians.  Only  S3C0  more  will  be  needed  to 
rare  for  these  trusting  cues  who  are  look- 
ing to  our  Church  for  Gospel  nurture. 


“ Your  committee,  therefore,  recommend 
that  the  claims  of  these  converted  Indians 
be  laid  before  the  Board  of  Home  Mis- 
sions, and  that  we  ask  for  S*oo  to  make 
];rovision  for  their  spiritual  life  and 
growth.” 

The  first  step  taken  was  the  adoption  of 
Miss  Frost  by  the  Woman's  Board,  with 
the  hope  that  the  Nez  Perce  pastor  might 
be  raised  up  according  to  the  call  of  the 
Synod  of  Utah.  Then  began  her  struggle 
in  church  building  and  raising  the  neces- 
sary funds.  As  the  official  presentment 
through  the  Synod  of  Utah  coidd  not  give 
the  picturesque  touches  of  that  gathering 
of  funds  by  the  Nez  Perces,  first  to  send 
their  pastor  and  elder,  and  then,  as  an  after- 
thought, to  provide  that  the  pastor’s  wife 
should  go  too,  to  encourage  her  Indian  sis- 
ters, following  up  this  visit  with  the  sub- 
stantial collection  out  of  their  own  narrow 
resources,  to  start  the  church  building  fund; 
so  the  stimulating  efforts  of  Miss  Frost 
herself  among  her  Indian  people  and  her 
friends,  with  all  the  pathetic  detail  of  her 
own  sacrifices  and  experiences,  could  not 
be  told  in  the  limits  of  this  article.  It  is 
another  chapter  of  heroic  history-  for  the 
great  Indian  epic  of  the  future. 

The  Bannock  and  the  Shoshone  Church 
walls  are  going  up,  but  the  brave  heart  of 
the  missionary  trembles  before  the  fact  that 
the  money  is  not  equal  to  the  cost.  Living 


S 


in  a tent  far  into  the  cold  weather,  ill 
though  she  has  been,  she  watches  and  di- 
rects, writes  her  appealing  letters  and  prays 
for  help.  Hear  her  own  words:  “ I am 

willing  to  do  without  help  in  furnishing 
the  house — fcr  this  year — if  we  can  only- 
get  the  building  paid  for.  I was  taught  as 
a child  to  abhor  debt.  Perhaps  I took  too 
much  risk  on  the  building,  but  I felt  it  was 
what  the  work  here  demanded.  I have 
counted  every  dollar  of  expense.  It’s  only' 
a plain,  substantial  building — no  more  room 
than  our  work  seems  to  demand.  At  our 
great  distance  from  towns  where  the  work- 
men live,  it  seemed  imperative  to  have  all 
the  work  done  at  one  time.  I felt  we  could 
do  without  a tower.  Then  word  came  from 
the  Government  School  that  the  Christian 
Endeavor  Society  (Indian)  and  the  Junior 
Endeavors  and  employes  were  trying  to  get 
a bell.  It  is  the  Lord’s  work — ‘The  silver 
and  the  gold  are  his  ’ — and  from  the  first 
I’ve  prayed  over  the  matter  every  step. 

“ When  this  word  came  I felt  is  was  an 
indication  that  I ought  to  have  the  tower 
built,  for  if  the  building  was  finished  with- 
out, it  would  be  three  days’  work  of  car- 
penter to  cut  out  the  cornice,  etc.,  before 
commencing  construction  of  tower.  The 
children  wouldn’t  want  to  put  their  money- 
in  the  building — they-  want  to  hear  the  bell 
ring  out,  ‘ Come  to  church,’  ‘ Come  to 
church,'  as  our  Government  Inspector's 

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wife  had  tohl  them  when  speaking  in  Chris 
tian  Endeavor  meeting.  I know  all  the 
dear  boys  and  girls,  and  when  I was  there 
I told  them  I hoped  they  would  hear  it 
ring,  ‘ Come  to  Jesus.’ 

“ I have  written  letters  soliciting  funds 
whenever  I have  had  strength  to  do  so  af- 
ter the  ‘ at  hand  ’ work  was  done.  One  of 
the  men  came  to  my  tent,  summoned  me 
out,  and  pointing  to  the  framework,  just 
raised,  of  our  tower  and  spire,  said,  ‘ 'Vhat 
this  day  you  call  it  ? ’ I replied.  ‘ 26th  day 
of  October,’  and  he  raid,  ‘ .\11  time  j'ou  heap 
savvy  this  day — first  time  any  house  talk 
our  Father  on  this  Reservation.’  Pointing 
his  finger  upward,  to  indicate  the  spire,  point- 
ing heavenward,  he  said,  translated  from 
Indian,  ‘ .\ny  man  on  train,  any  man  on 
wagon  road  seeing  that,  know  Indians  are 
Christians  on  this  Reservation.’  My  heart 
is  glad  now,  all  the  people  passing  will 
know  now  that  is  an  ‘ Our  Father's  ’ house. 
I don’t  know  where  a dollar  to  pay 
for  it  is  coming  from,  but  I believe  the 
Lord  does  and  I cannot  but  feel  I was 
right  in  having  it  built.  The  estimate  on 
tower,  with  no  arrangement  as  to  hanging 
bell,  is  $238.” 

Does  it  not  seem  as  if  some  one  would 
wish  to  help  that  valiant  builder — a solitary 
woman,  another  Sue  IMcBeth  for  the  Ban- 
nocks and  Shoshones? 

.•\nd  there  is  a sequel.  While  the  light 


10 


is  just  dawning  over  Fort  Hall  Reserva- 
tion, there  is  a crj'  out  of  heathen  darkness 
five  hundred  miles  south  of  these  tribes  of 
the  Northwest.  A Government  teacher  at 
the  Shevwitts’  School  at  St.  George,  Utan, 
was  until  recently  a Presbyterian  mission- 
ary in  a mission  school  among  the  Mor- 
mons. Once  a missionary,  always  a mis- 
sionary. She  writes  to  Miss  Frost,  who  is 
going  in  and  out  among  the  Bannocks  and 
Shoshones  in  their  new  capacity  as  Pres- 
byterian Church  members,  of  the  need  of 
her  Shevwitts,  and  of  the  scattered  tribes 
over  the  border  of  Nevada.  W'ill  the  new 
made  elders  of  the  little  church  come  down 
to  these  Indian  brethren  with  the  Gospel 
message  as  the  Nez  Perces  came  to  them? 
What  a request,  when  their  own  church 
building  was  struggling  up!  But  they 
went,  and  Miss  Frost  with  them,  and  Nez 
Perce  James  Hayes  after  them.  !Miss 
Work,  the  Government  teacher,  writing  of 
the  visiting  Indians  from  Nevada  points — 
the  Kaibabs,  Muddies,  Cedars  and  others, 
says:  “ !Miss  Frost,  with  Hubert  and  Alex- 
ander Watson,  two  of  her  elders,  came 
down  from  Fort  Hall,  and  James  Hayes 
of  the  Nez  Perces  is  to  follow.  I cannot 
cxpre.'s  the  joy  that  is  ours  as  we  see  the 
people  struggling  so  patiently  to  under- 
stand and  coming  so  faithfully  night  after 
night  with  all  the  children  to  hear  the 
great  ‘ te  guin  ap  ’ (story).  The  St.  George 


11 


paper  last  week  announced  that  a Presby- 
terian mission  has  been  established  at  Con- 
ger’s Farm  (their  name  for  this  place),  by 
what  authority  I do  not  know,  but  I begin 
to  think  it  may  prove  a prophecy  of  what 
is  coming.” 

.And  so  from  Xez  Perces  to  Bannocks 
and  Shoshones,  from  Bannocks  and  Sho- 
shones to  Utah  and  Nevada  tribes,  the  Gos- 
pel progression  lights  up  the  dark  corners 
of  our  country,  while  the  dusky  torchbear- 
ers  show  to  a lagging  church  how  the  lignt 
might  be  turned  on  were  its  own  response 
as  prompt  and  earnest. 

New  York,  .April,  igoi. 


Xo.  — 3d  Kd.— 8,  1!)0S. 

Two  cents  each,  l?l.oO  per  100. 


The  Wolfer  Press,  X.  Y. 


